Foundation garment



June 16, 1964 M. GINGRAS FOUNDATION GARMENT zsheets-sheet '1 Filed Nov. 2, 1962 INVENTOR MARcEL GINGRAS imlu %v 6 ATTORNEYS June 16, 1964 M. GINGRAS FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 2, 1962 INVENTOR MARCEL GmanAs ilmvfiyfi ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,137,300 FOUNDATION GARMENT Marcel Gingras, St. Foy, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Dominion Corset Company, Limited, Quebec, Quebec,

Canada Filed Nov..2, 1962, Ser. No. 235,013 Claims priority, application Canada Sept. 18, 1962 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-524) This invention relates to foundation garments and particularly to panty typegirdles in whichthe leg portions of the garment have amaximum freedom of movement relative to the body encircling portion of the garment.

In panty type girdles there has always been a problem in maintaining a high degree of control of the body portion of the garment with maximum freedom of movement of the leg portions. In most garments of this type body restraining structure has always tended to cramp leg movement. On the other hand, should the body restraining structure be lightened to the extent that leg movement is relatively unrestrained, then the body restraining structure loses its eiiect and the garment fails to perform its main function. The foundation garment hereinafter described combines a high degree of body control with maximum freedom of movement of the legs.

The invention consistsessentially in the provision in the front of the garment of three layers of material, the outer and the intermediate layers each having a lateral band of elastic material along their lower edges, the bands of elastic material being disposed at an angle opposite to each other to provide a cross-over etiect, with the upper and outer ends of both bands being located at the hip en circling portion of the garment while the lower and outer ends of both bands are attached to the front of the leg portions of the garment. The inner layer of material is cut to the same shape as that of the outer and intermediate layers and has extensions directed downwards and inset into the leg portions of the garment. All three layers of material are bound together by stitching along their top horizontal edge and along their vertical edges and are secured to side panels of elastic material forming with a rear panel the body encircling and leg portions of the garment. I

It is an object of the invention to provide a panty type girdle in which the leg portions of the garment have a maximum freedom of movement combinedwith a maximum of body control.

A further object of the invention is to providea panty type girdle in which a front panel consists of three layers of material of which the outer and intermediate panels include crossed over bands of elastic material at their lower edges.

A further object of the invention is to engage the ends of the bands of elastic material with the hip engaging portions of the garment at one end and at their opposite ends engaging with the front of the leg portions of the garment for maximum ease of movement of the legs.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the garment partiallybroken away to show the three layer construction of the;

front panel.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation mostly in section on the a r I, {65' FIG. 3 is a horizontal section of the frontpanel porline 22 of FIG. 1.

The front panel 8 of the garment is constructed of threelayers of materiahan outer layer 9, an intermediate layer Patented. June 16, 1964 generally non-stretchable material and in the body encircling portion of the garment it is cut to the same shape as that of the outer and intermediate layers 9 and 10. This inner layer 11 is provided with a pair of extensions '14 and 15 extending dt'own into the leg portions 7 of the garment. g p

. The three layers 9, ,10 and" 11 are boundtogether by stitching along their top edge 16 and along their vertical .edges 17. r

The upper edges 18.and 19 of the bands-12 and 13 may be curved as shown in- FIG. l to. providea greater area of elasticity in the line of the front portions of each leg.

The panel 8 is joined at its edges 17 to the side panels 20 and waist band 21 both of which are stretchable horizontally in the direction of the arrows '22. The side panels 20 extend downwards to form the sides and rear portions of the legs 7 and are joined to the extensions 14 and 15 of the inner layer 11 of the-front panel 8 and also to the rear panel 23. Inserts 24 of stretchable material, I

stretchable in the direction of the arrow 25 complete, the

circular formation of the leg portions 7 of the garment,

which may be bound at their lower edge by the stretchable bands 26. The two leg'inserts 24 are. joined together at their top edges by the crotch piece 27 which in turn is joined at the front to the inner layer 11 of the front panel 8 and at the rear to the rear panel 23. g

It will be observed from the above description and from the drawings that the three layer construction of the front panel Spermits the leg portions of the garment to act independent of body control portion of the garment which is inherent in the front and intermediate layers 9 and 10 and particularly in the cross-over arrangement of the bands 12 and 13. The disposition of these cross over bands 12 and 13 is of particular importance in their relationship to thO'bOdY encircling portion of the garment and the legs. As will be seen-in FIG. 1, taking the outermost band 12, its vertical edge 12b is located-at level of the 1 hip embracing portion of the garment while its vertical edge 120 is located on the front of the opposite leg of the garment. Similarly, the vertical edge 13b of the band 13 is located at the hip embracing portion of the garment directly opposite from the edge 12b and the edge 13c is located on the front of the opposite leg from that to which. the edge 12c is secured. The vertical spao ing of the edges 12b and 13c and the-edg es 13b and 120 is such as to allow each leg 7 to swing freely without interference from the adjacent and higher up of either of the bands 12 or 13. The lower portion of the bands Hand 13 adjacent their anchorage to-the legs 7 are notrestrictive to movement of the legs as their anchorage to a more constricted portioniof the garment, at the hip line, is at the I side of panel 8 opposite from its anchorage to, a leg and .thereforethe flexibility of the whole length of the bands 12 and 13 serve to allow freedom of movement of the legs, particularly as one banddoes not interfere with free stretching of the other band.

. What I claim is: v

'1. A foundation garment of the panty girdle'type, the said girdle having a. frontpa'neLa pair of-side' panels, a rear panel anda pair of legs, the said, front panel having an inner layerof material, an intermediate layer and an outer layer, the said' sidepanels extending-downwards the full length of the garment and forming {side portions" of the garment legs, the said inner layer of the front panel having a pair of downwardly extending portions forming the front portions of the said legs, the said inner layer of the front panel including the extended portions being connected along their vertical edges to adjacent edges of the said side panels, the said intermediate and outer layers of the front panel extending in a downwards direction to approximately the top of the said legs and having their lower horizontal edges cut at an angle to the horizontal .in a direction opposite to each other, the vertically disposed edges of the said intermediate and outer layers together with said inner layer making a common joint wit the said side panels, and a band of elastic material secured to the lower horizontal edges of each of the said intermediate and outer layers of the front panel and secured at their vertical edges to the adjacent edges of the said 2. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1 in which 7 the said bands have their vertical depth increased in the area coincident with the front centre line of each of the said legs.

'3. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1 in which the said side panels are formed from material stretchable in a horizontal direction and subject to the pull of the said bands of the front panel.

4. A foundation garment as set forth in claim 1 in which the legs of the said garment are formed by extended portions of the said side and rear panels and of the inner layer of the front panel, and a pair of inwardly facing inserts complete the circular formation of the said legs, the said inserts being joined together to form the crotch of the garment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lax Jan. 29, 19 57 

1. A FOUNDATION GARMENT OF THE PANTY GIRDLE TYPE, THE SAID GIRDLE HAVING A FRONT PANEL, A PAIR OF SIDE PANELS, A REAR PANEL AND A PAIR OF LEGS, THE SAID FRONT PANEL HAVING AN INNER LAYER OF MATERIAL, AN INTERMEDIATE LAYER AND AN OUTER LAYER, THE SAID SIDE PANELS EXTENDING DOWNWARDS THE FULL LENGTH OF THE GARMENT AND FORMING SIDE PORTIONS OF THE GARMENT LEGS, THE SAID INNER LAYER OF THE FRONT PANEL HAVING A PAIR OF DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PORTIONS FORMING THE FRONT PORTIONS OF THE SAID LEGS, THE SAID INNER LAYER OF THE FRONT PANEL INCLUDING THE EXTENDED PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED ALONG THEIR VERTICAL EDGES TO ADJACENT EDGES OF THE SAID SIDE PANELS, THE SAID INTERMEDIATE AND OUTER LAYERS OF THE FRONT PANEL EXTENDING IN A DOWNWARDS DIRECTION TO APPROXIMATELY THE TOP OF THE SAID LEGS AND HAVING THEIR LOWER HORIZONTAL EDGES CUT AT AN ANGLE TO THE HORIZONTAL IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO EACH OTHER, THE VERTICALLY DISPOSED EDGES OF THE SAID INTERMEDIATE AND OUTER LAYERS TOTOGETHER WITH SAID INNER LAYER MAKING A COMMON JOINT WITH THE SAID SIDE PANELS, AND A BAND OF ELASTIC MATERIAL SECURED TO THE LOWER HORIZONTAL EDGES OF EACH OF THE SAID INTERMEDIATE AND OUTER LAYERS OF THE FRONT PANEL AND SECURED AT THEIR VERTICAL EDGES TO THE ADJACENT EDGES OF THE SAID SIDE PANELS, THE SAID BANDS BEING DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO 